Monthly Archives: September 2014

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Fermintxo Boca is a lovely Spanish spot hidden behind the escalators on the first floor of the Ark Hills South Tower. Lunch, which includes an appetizer plate, main dish, and coffee, is a bargain starting at 1,200 JPY. The pasta paella at lunch is made with splinters of angel hair pasta cooked in a rich seafood broth studded with scallops, squid, and shellfish. The aroma of the ocean filled the table when the large dish was set down.

Fermintxo Boca Steak

The steak is seared on the outside and red on the inside, perfectly paired with meaty mushrooms. The restaurant is usually full at the peak noon lunchtime, so go early or late. It’s casual here and at this lunch it was filled with ladies, so lots of chatting. Staff are friendly and welcoming. Fermintxo Boca is also getting a lot of press lately for its sandwiches, so I will be back. This is a great spot for lunch. It’s a small restaurant, and fills up quickly. There is a counter overlooking the open kitchen, great for solo diners. Fermintxo Boca offers a great value at lunch.

Ruby and Jack are chef Matthew Crabbe’s grandparents name. Ruby Jack’s Steakhouse is a great spot in the Ark Hills South Tower building. High ceilings, outdoor seating if you want on a spacious terrace. The interior feels very upscale with the white tablecloths, but it’s very friendly and without any attitude. Here is a tomato and blue cheese salad.

Ruby Jack’s Caesar Salad

The Caesar salad is covered with a generous amount of cheese, which is a treat in Japan.

Ruby Jack’s Pork

While it is a steakhouse, I couldn’t resist the Japanese pork. A meaty portion that was just right for lunch.

Ruby Jack’s Burger

I had such a great meal that I went back right away as I wanted to try the burger and fries. It’s a messy burger, as they should be, and with a barbecue sauce. All of the lunch sets come with an appetizer and coffee or tea. Here is my review of Ruby Jack’s for Metropolis magazine.

The wine list is rich and there are several selections under 10,000 JPY. At lunchtime the restaurant is kid-friendly and there is even a kid’s menu. Don’t bother coming if you are a vegetarian, or you may leave hungry.

My only advice is to allow yourself some time to get lost in this area. There are many buildings in the Ark Hills complex and I have been lost here several times.

Shinji’s father has a boat on Tokyo Bay and he often goes fishing. Recently he came home with an octopus. Shinji set to work preparing the octopus by first massaging it in grated daikon. It was then boiled and here is the boiled octopus.

Octopus Sashimi

Octopus, tako in Japanese, is one of my favorite seafood. It’s meaty, has a great texture, and is not very fishy. That’s important for this Japanese-American girl who was raised in Minnesota. When it is cut as sashimi it is not simply sliced, but cut with a up and down motion creating a wave-like design on the flesh. This helps to pick up the soy sauce. How brilliant are the Japanese to think about this?

Octopus Fritters

Battered and deep-fried octopus were amazing, especially with ice cold beer. Just season with salt and pop into your mouth. Yum. I bet these would be a big hit at the Minnesota State Fair, where I first came to experience deep-fried cheese curds.

Octopus Rice in a Donabe

We love cooking rice in a donabe pot. Shinji marinated raw octopus with soy sauce, mirin, and saké and then added to the donabe with rice with dashi. After the rice was cooked it was garnished with julienned ginger. He made a large batch as this can be molded into small rice balls and put into the freezer. It is easy to zap in the microwave.